The fictional sport of quidditch was created by author J.K. Rowling for her fantasy book series Harry Potter in 1997, but a modified version of the game has brought the sport to life.
The game of quadball was witnessed by dozens of spectators and enjoyed by dozens of participants at Vernon’s Polson Park on Saturday, for the Western Canadian Championships of Quadball.
“It is a mix between rugby, dodgeball and a little bit of flag football,” said Austen Wallace, coach of Vanguard Quadball. “It’s a really fun, intense mixed-gender competitive sport that started about 17 years ago.”
Quadball was first played at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont in 2005. The sport features a roster of 21 players on each team, with six to seven players per team on the field at a time. Each end of the field features three hoops of varying heights, where the competitors must try and score. Much like the fictional sport of quidditch, all players must be mounted on a broom when in play.
“The game is played with multiple balls which is a little bit unique, you score with the quaffle which is a volleyball, but you have to watch out for dodgeballs,” said Wallace.
“If you are hit with a dodgeball, it doesn’t matter who you are, if you are hit you have to get off your broom run back to touch your hoop, then you can play again.”
Unlike some sports where the equipment and registration fees are becoming somewhat of a barrier for some people, quadball is a very cost-friendly sport, allowing people from all different backgrounds and abilities to take part in the action.
“Quadball is great because it gets a whole hodge podge of different people, you get people that come from a competitive sports background looking to try something new, people that are brand new to sports that want a casual fun opportunity to try competition, and people that are here because they are Harry Potter fans, which of course we love to see,” said Anya McKercher, who plays the chaser and seeker position with the UBC Quadball Sport Club.
At the end of the day, the sport is about being inclusive, having fun, and building relationships both on and off the field.
“We aren’t here to destroy the other team we are here to play, get better and have fun so you don’t really have that animosity in between say two really competitive teams, they are ready to hug it out after,” said Jasper Whitby, who plays the chaser position for the Alberta Clippers.
As the Western Canadian Championships of Quadball wrap up, the competitors can now set their sights on the National Championships, set to take place in Ontario in the spring of 2024.
The first Canadian quidditch team was founded at McGill University in Montreal, Québec by Reid Robinson, in 2008. In 2022, the sport was formally renamed to quadball, due to trademark concerns, but also because the sport wanted to distance itself from author J.K. Rowling following controversial remarks, according to three of the sports governing bodies.